klecser

It actually begs the larger question: Whose responsibility is it to please fans? I don't view it as the designer's responsibility. If someone follows anything so intensely that they have a perceived "gospel" for it, it isn't another person's responsibility to curate unreasonable expectations. There is room for all at tables, so long as they are fun-first for all, not just themselves. People will be dissatisfied no matter what someone chooses to do or not do. I'm not interested in sitting at a table where a GM feels "obligated" to play a certain way because they are trying to please people with the least healthy perspective. I find that more enabling than empathetic.This is the exact reason my friend group stopped attending Cons. We were sick of other people telling us how we "should" feel. I don't think a lot of gamers understand how much "canonism" contributes to death of games and anxiety at Cons. It is often wielded like a hammer to exclude/discourage variant perspectives and styles at tables. That said, I started this thread because I want to give my group a great experience running RQ the first time, and I know my players. That means finding a good balance of factors based upon where they are, not where I wish they were. Any new GM should ask the question: What are my player's approaches to fun and how can I craft a reasonable balance that will be fun for everyone? If one player's canon-focus is wrecking it for everyone else? No thanks.

They may be added to the Cult of Chaos at some point?

As a Call of Cthulhu player, I had no intention of purchasing Runequest until the slipcase released. And then the production values, art, richness of the world, and my trust in Chaosium completely converted me. Not surprised.

I really appreciate the love that Chaosium is giving to this particular Mythos threat.

I really enjoy the breadth of NPC portraits on the cover. It screams "lots of people/things to meet and stuff to do." That sounds more crass than I intended. LOL

Your responses pretty much sum up what attracts me to this game and why I would rather play Runequest than any other heroic game right now. What good is hero-ing if there is nothing wholesome at stake?

Part 5 is up!

Is it allowed/wise to pick a cult that is unaffiliated with your occupation? Earlier in character creation I picked Ernalda as my Cult. But, I want my character to be heavy infantry and Ernalda is not listed as a typical cult. I've been role-playing for a long time and I don't believe in limiting character creation options. But at the same time, I don't know Glorantha, or this game very well yet and I'm just wondering if there is some game-ruining reason that makes picking a cult occupation outside of the listed a dumb idea. I also have an "optimization" mentality that has been pounded into my head, and BRP is slowly breaking me of that. Or, let me ask this in another way, because I have "DND Mindset" Disease right now. Do Farmers go on adventures in this game? And that causes me to look at "Farmer" occupation and equate that with "boring." I know that isn't fair. DND teaches me that Farmers are not adventurers. Should I broaden my mindset as to who QUESTS in this world?

As others have said, I'm thinking that Defending Apple Lane, as much as I love it as a scenario, may be a bit much for a one shot game. I really like the idea of "escorting the cattle to market." Thanks Jeff. I don't take it for granted that designers respond!

I feel like a Baboon should be included too.

Thanks to everyone for this amazing response! I got swamped at work, so I'll try to digest this over the next couple days!

Bump for Part 4!

My Call of Cthulhu group has been seeing my videos for "How To Build A Runequest Character" and they naturally want in, at least for a one-shot to try it. I would likely run Defending Apple Lane and use the Pre-Gens. My players are open-minded, but their experience is rooted almost exclusively in DND and Call of Cthulhu. Given the rarity of combat in our CoC campaign and the differences between this game and DND, I anticipate a steep learning curve for them. I will have a learning curve as well, as this will be my first time running RQ. Yet, I have 20+ years as a GM under my belt and I know how to anticipate a lot of the general challenges. I'm also a teacher by profession, so helping people understand and choosing the best questions comes naturally to me. I'm expecting that we are going to actually do this in a minimum of two sessions: One to learn the rules basics and one to start play. I know that really doesn't happen for FLGS-based one shots, so I'm curious as to how you all teach the Basics as efficiently as possible. My biggest fear right now is attempting to explain the three tiers of the Magic system and players having a character that they feel is ineffective because of this. Some of the slipcase characters seem fairly complex to my untrained eye and specialize in calling Spirits and casting magic and I'm not sure how to "pitch" that to whoever plays one. Combat will obviously be a huge part of DAL. Another challenge is that we will only have one rulebook, so I anticipate printing full spell text from the PDF for players to use (for personal use only! ) How do you teach Runequest efficiently to one-shot groups? Which pre-gens are the obvious choices for new players? Do you feel like a "pre" session is unnecessary with specific in-session choices to support understanding? As always, thanks in advance.

I am not surprised.

I'm sure Seth, like many of us, recognizes the benefits of fans doing PR for the games they love.

And I second Beyond the Mountains of Madness, but we already knew that was in the pipe. We can't make Chaosium produce it faster than human power allows.

I saw it. My comment is not that people shouldn't make requests. My comment is directly in reaction to seneschal's implication that Chaosium isn't doing everything they can to reprint old material. I'm pointing out that they are doing quite a bit. Seneschal seems dissatisfied. Whether with the line up or the speed. And they are entitled to their opinion. But I don't think the facts support the suggestion that Chaosium isn't doing enough. Human hours are limited.

The simple answer to this is that they are already doing what you are requesting. Chaosium has released many examples from its current production schedule, and it has and will include old stuff. We just got a new absolutely glorious update of Masks that likely represents tens of thousands of combined hours of work. And the existing production schedule is ambitious. Maybe they haven't chosen the exact modules you would have chosen. But you're not at the helm. There is significant work that goes into revising and reprinting and the human power is limited. I think it is important to empathize with Chaosium staff first and foremost. That doesn't mean we shouldn't make requests, of course.

Day of the Beast is not available as a PDF currently and it routinely goes for 100 plus on eBay. Sold out on Noble Knight.

I'm really enjoying this thread. The analytical drive in me suggested that a lot of the combat percentages were inflated based upon my rookie understanding of the rules. This isn't out of the ordinary in RPGs, but it bothers me because it makes drawing models from pre-gens for creation less satisfying.

I haven't run any of those in their entirety yet (I've only run pieces of MoN and HotOE as part of my own campaign) so I can't give you a specific recommendation. I'm just posting to say that it makes me happy that you've played the game and enjoyed it with a group. I'm excited to hear about your continuing experiences.

Hey all, I will update this thread periodically as I upload more videos. The goal of this series is for me to showcase character creation for new players through the eyes of an experienced role-player new to Runequest.

Many of the older scenarios, that may be out of print in their original form, were reprinted in future publications that are available as PDFs. So I don't think it disingenuous to say that there is 40 years worth of material to draw from. Just because something isn't in print doesn't mean that it doesn't exist in updated forms. The idea is to communicate to new Keepers that there is LOTS of material to draw from. If the goal is to grow the game, you highlight the positive.

Anyone who wants to learn some Keeper tricks should watch Mike in action. Compare the text of the adventure to how it shakes out and you'll see some key decisions he makes, in response to his players, to make for a unique experience. He's also excellent at creative test outcomes/requests on the fly.

There is specific text in Defending Apple Lane that references a use of the Battle skill. I don't have my materials on me right now, but I remember it being there.